


Stunted

by Kaijubun



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Discovery, Eventual Smut, Friendship, M/M, Romance, ZaDr, defect, help idk how to tag, i'll add more later, mwahahah, ohhhh, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 09:26:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13877994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaijubun/pseuds/Kaijubun
Summary: Zim comes to the realization that some previous acquaintances were right about his role on Earth.Ready to prove them wrong, he digs deep within his PAK to find the source of his problems.Now in late high school, instead of mere hiccups he finds multiple malfunctions within his PAK's code.  One being his stunted growth and... feelings?Fixing the problems gives him way more than he originally anticipated.Honestly, what was he if not an invader?





	Stunted

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  ~~~
> 
> Hello humans!
> 
> First off, this is my very first fanfic, thank you so much for taking the time to read it!  
> I've had some ideas circling around in my head for a while and wanted to give a shot at creating my own work.  
> Some ideas will be new while others are borrowed. There are so many amazing stores out there already; you all inspire me so much!
> 
> I'm not a writer by any means, so any feedback is welcome and much appreciated!
> 
> Side note, I'm on tumblr under ga-zz (IZ blog)
> 
> Anyways, here we go,
> 
> Chapter one of Stunted, _Malfunction_.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> ~~~

Days went by slowly but all at once somehow crept into years. He realized something was wrong with him as that slow, agonizing time went by on Earth. 

Height was always an important factor to Zim, his race depended on it! However, his length on Earth seemed to dilute its importance; his nemesis and he were, after all, all but the same height when he arrived on this pitiful dirt ball. Additionally, the rulers across this planet were all kinds of different sizes. Height altogether seemed to be no threat or factor in deciding on who was the one in charge.

So it was no immediate threat until Dib, and the other filthy human creatures in Zim’s classes, started to grow and mature. They were in the 8th grade now and Zim just… remained the same. 

Yes, he was Irken and grew differently than the humans, but something was still _off_ about his situation. He could feel that now that everyone around him was changing. Zim decided something needed to be done, he had no clue what that was exactly, but maybe running a few experiments would give him some ideas on where to start.

In Zim’s first series of tests, he found some alarming news that made him forget about his original goal for even running the tests in the first place. Things that were mentioned previously by others that he thought to be just lies and slander. Things that… seemed to now dawn on him to actually be true?

For starters, years ago that hideous Tak creature mentioned how his mission on Earth had been fake, a lie to end him. Then there was the gullible Sizz-Lorr who told Zim that he was supposed to work for him on Foodcourtia, as banishment for his alleged crimes against the Irken Empire.

Zim’s PAK did, in fact, still have him labeled as a food service drone - not as an invader to conquer the planet known as Earth. It was right there in plain code, displayed on his computers large monitor. A basic scan could even give you this information; Zim just didn’t think it to be necessary before.

It was no mistake.

The Tallest even went with the ruse for a while, most likely for their own entertainment. Communications with them slowly fizzled out, hearing back from them less and less until, nothing. Connections lost. They must have grown bored with keeping up a semblance of the act with Zim, but he didn’t know that at the time.

He was clever enough, however, to get access on any updated Irken technology through his affiliation with Prisoner 777. The alliance with him was helpful, not that he needed someone else’s help, but it was definitely easier that way. 777 even passed on galactic news and sent Zim some drives that may help with any technical upgrades he would need on his computer.

Other than the falsehood Zim faced, determined to prove everyone wrong about him being a worthy invader, something else deep inside still gnawed away at him. An unsolved mystery within his coding.

Could his leaders possibly have considered him a…

No. That couldn’t be right.

Zim pushed aside all negative thoughts until later, when problems would inevitably persist. Until then, his mindset was that he would prove to _them_ that he was _the best_ invader! How dare anyone take Zim as a mere joke!

Honestly, what was he if not an invader?

 

\---

 

More time had passed, they were now nearing the end of their High School lives, approaching summer vacation after their Junior year. Zim grew a little through the years but he was still all but a measly 4 feet tall while Dib, he estimated, was a towering 5’9”, and _still_ growing. The other kids grew as well and started teasing Zim about his puny height. Thus reminding him about resuming those original tests on himself.

Height really was important, even on Earth.

And Dib… did he even believe Zim was a threat or challenge to him anymore?!

Yes, Zim recently began to slack off a little in his mischievous schemes as he grew concerned with his own well-being and purpose, but that was no reason for the Dib-beast to underestimate ZIM and not give him the attention and hate-filled looks he deserved!

Sometimes, he would catch Dib just staring at him with nothing but honest curiosity in those amber eyes. But Dib was quick to change expressions once he noticed Zim caught him in the act.

Good. Those looks always made Zim feel… funny. He didn’t understand or like it.

Zim was deep in thought when someone managed to get his attention by calling him a midget. He was honestly minding his own business for once, collecting his belongings from his assigned locker on their last day of school. The one horrible red-headed dirt child felt the need to spit out an insult while passing by Zim in the halls.

Zim whipped his head around to look at the horrible insult barker. With heated eyes he glared at the meat bag named Chunk.

So ugly, this human was. Of course he would feel the need to throw out insults to someone more superior.

Still, it didn’t help he used a human word that tugged at Zim’s new found insecurity. It felt like a threat.

Zim, offended and enraged as we was, ignored the insult with a sneer and stormed off. He decided it was better to begin fixing his problem than beating up the pitiful human in an outrage. He planned to run countless scans and tests on his person as soon as he arrived home.

Zim did however, hear a familiar voice in the distance tell Chunk to “Shut the hell up” before walking out the school building.

Earlier that day, before the insult had happened, Zim overheard a squabbling sibling conversation during lunch - mainly one where Dib was complaining to his sister.

Apparently Dib would be away, reluctantly, on some sort of job internship, camp… thingy his father was sending him off to. It was for four to five weeks during the beginning of their summer vacation. It seemed to be space related, so Dib didn’t seem horribly devastated to go.

He definitely tried to keep it hush-hush from Zim though. Probably so he wouldn’t get any “take over the Earth” ideas while Dib was away.

Foolish human, the real being from space had been right in front of him now for years. What was so exciting about a human facility that merely observed and talked about it?

Needless to say, Dib would be out of Zim’s way for other reasons. The Irken was thankful he wouldn’t have to worry about trying to come up with some sort of plan to distract the Dib away from his base during his testing, as boring as that sounds.

It still didn’t stop Zim from planting one of his electronic bee’s on Dib. It was for monitoring (and mainly annoyance) purposes. 

The electronic bee’s Zim generously engineered would randomly sting Dib during awkward situations. Zim even made it happen once during a final exam; he found it hilarious to see Dib squirm at the jabs while attempting to catch and disable the little electronic bee. Others around him just looked on, horrified.

Dib hated those things, and it was a subtle way of getting back at him for mocking Zim during lunch that day.

Oh, how Zim loved to see the Dib squirm.  


 

\---

 

With Dib away, Zim was finally free to begin.

Within the first couple of days of examinations, Zim realized that the problems were stemming from his PAK’s… coding...? But how? PAK’s were made with the finest of Irken technology, _especially_ Zim’s! If anything, his PAK should have fixed any problem. He _should_ have grown _more!_

Earth’s gravitational pull is unlike many other planets; it normally would have set off a chain reaction within the PAK to fight against. Many Irkens go through a rapid growth spurt when the situation calls for it. Instead, ZIM’s PAK seemed to keep him down at a stunted height.

Zim was patiently sitting on his computer seat, fuming over past events that led him into this situation. Why was his PAK not functioning like it should? He tapped his digits against the cold surface of his computer’s dash and was rhythmically swinging his legs back and forth to the hum of his PAK, as they didn’t fully touch the ground.

“ANALYSIS COMPLETE”, the computer boasted as the whirring died down in Zim’s PAK. Multiple cords were hanging out of it, all connecting to his computer.

“DIAGNOSTIC: GRAVITATIONAL CALIBRATION MALFUNCTION. PERMISSION TO RUN ADDITIONAL TEST SIMULATION TO DISSOLVE THE DEFECT?”

Zim cringed at the last word that seemed to hang in the air, his digits letting out a final tap against metal and legs paused mid-swing.

He let out a hiss of frustration several seconds later, not realizing he was holding his breath. “Yes, yes, on with it already!” Zim all but squawked while impishly waving a hand in the air.

“ _FIIINE._ ” His computer groaned back as his PAK whirred back to life, heating up ever so slightly.

Zim closed his eyes at the warmth and soft sounds his PAK made. Hunching forward slightly, he began to concentrate on the parts of his PAK being analyzed.

It gave him a slight ticklish affect, beginning from where his PAK was connected on his upper back, stemming down his spine and finally splitting to the rest of his body. It felt like what a plants root system looked like, and left a tingle in his fingers and toes.

The sensations weren’t pleasant, but it also didn’t bother Zim all that much. It just felt very... surreal.

“SIR,” The computer boomed once more, startling Zim’s thoughts. “TEST SIMULATION WAS A SUCCESS. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL OCULAR AND CEREBRAL MALFUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN LOCATED. PERMISSION TO REPAIR THESE DEFECTS AS WELL?”

That horrid _word_ again! It fully snapped Zim back to reality, his head whipping up to look towards his computers large monitor.

“HOW MANY _PROBLEMS_ ARE THERE WITH ME?” Zim shouted in a fit of rage with a hint of underlying horror. He shook slightly while gripping harshly at the arm rests on either side of him. Luckily, his furniture was made out of sturdy Irken material, otherwise he would have easily ripped holes into the sides.

“UHH…” The computer replied, dumbfounded and not knowing how to respond.

Zim scrunched his invisible nose as he glared at the monitor. His grip on the armrests loosened as he fixed himself in a relaxed seated position once more, but the scowl he wore never dissipated.

His thoughts became more calculated now that the initial outburst of anger was beginning to fade. 

“Fix all malfunctions without overwriting any core cerebral data. Remember, computer, that the data you are about to re-code is _very_ fragile.” He spoke with a cold, stern voice.

The last thing he wanted was to die in a dumb repair of his PAK or to simply not be... _Zim_ anymore. The smallest screw-up of code could be his doom.

It took a moment for the computer to respond, grasping the serious situation as much as an AI could. “YES SIR.” It finally let out.

“DUE TO THE URGENCY AND… DELICATENESS OF THIS PROCEDURE, YOUR PAK WILL PUT YOU ON A SLEEP-MODE WHILE ALL REPAIRS ARE IN PROGRESS. THIS... COULD TAKE A FEW EARTH DAYS. CONFIRM TO CONTINUE?”

Zim pressed a couple of commands on a separate monitor, making sure his homes defenses were up properly while GIR was sealed off and _thoroughly_ entertained in a separate room of his base.

It had a TV and all kinds of foods the robot could ever want in it, at least to get him by for a week.

With an exasperated huff, Zim got up from his main seat and made way to one of his operation cots nearby, cords trailing behind him from his PAK’s connection with his computer. He gripped the edge of the cot and lifted himself up, laying face down with arms at his sides. He rested his head in a hole that allowed him to breath comfortably and still see, even though it was just the floor of his base. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, not that it really mattered. His PAK’s sleep-mode would knock him out cold.

“Yes, on with it computer.” He blurted out as he closed his eyes in an attempt to relax, trying to imagine something more pleasant.

“YES SIR. REPAIRS ARE NOW IN PROGRESS. TIME REMAINING: 168 HOURS.”

Zim could feel the haze take over as his PAK was preparing to put him in sleep-mode along with that previous ticklish sensation spreading alongside it. His eyes felt heavy even though they were already closed.

What was he trying to think about again? Ah, yes. The pleasant achievement of his “peers” looking at him with well deserved respect and fear over his increased height and demeanor.

Of Dib looking at him with a new kindled fierceness, a new and improved challenge... but the look on Dib’s face morphed into something that Zim wasn’t used to. What is that…? Why was Zim picturing it?

Respect? Concern? No, not quite. His eyes are fierce but with a softness to them… Seriously, what is that look he’s imagining Dib giving him? Had he actually seen this in person and not realize it?

It was honestly too much for Zim to just imagine up, especially at random. Could it simply be from the start of his PAK being re-coded that messed up his perception?

His limbs started to tingle.

Ah, was the look… Adoration?

Huh…

And with that, Zim’s thoughts drifted and everything faded to black.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

Most of the school was sitting outside for lunch today; it was so nice out and perfect for the last day of the school year. 

“Ugghh.” Dib groaned, his head face down on the lunch table while his arms were blocking out the light around him. Why did his dad have to send him off to some month long internship? Literally the day after school lets out. Yea, he was turning 18 soon but… did he really need official “experience”?

He’s the top of his class, well he’s one of them, and sadly has some pre-planned career in his father’s labs outstretched before him. He could always make new inventions using the “real science” his dad boasts about. It was easy. 

But that’s not what he wanted. There was the unknown in which he always longed for – the stars and planets and galaxies and foreign green skin with magenta orbs floating in his memory…

His rambling thoughts were cut off by an object that bounced off his head, landing beside one of his hands.

“What the heck Gaz?” Dib said, not even moving from his head on the table position, muffling his voice.

You couldn’t even see his face and he looked pitiful.

“Maybe you should shut up and actually, you know, look at the dumb brochure to this place before whining about it.” Gaz huffed out across from him, tapping away at some game on her phone. “Stupid.” She had to add.

Dib groaned again and lifted up his head, squinting his eyes at the sudden harsh light from the sun that invaded his face. Heh.

He was lazy and kept his chin on the table, letting his arms and hands do all the work. He grabbed a crumpled up flyer that seemed to be the object that was tossed at his head a moment ago and opened it up.

It didn’t take him long to scan the contents. “Woah! This place is actually… space related?!” Dib sprang up in his seat, eyes lighting up at the images and words that were displayed in colorful ink. Maybe his dad realized he can do “real science” with the unknown. “That’s actually pretty neat.” He commented with a slight smirk. The place was only two hours away, and they provided an accommodating dorm room to stay in. At least he wouldn’t be _too_ far away.

“Like I said, you’re stupid.” Gaz looked up at him from her phone screen, unamused, but then shifted her gaze over his left shoulder. Raising a brow, Dib turned around to see what had caught her attention.

There he was, just sitting at the table under a tree a few yards away, simply staring at the two siblings. His head was resting in the palm of his left hand, tapping the table with the other like he was watching some boring TV show or sitting through a lecture. A few random kids were sitting by him, but not too close, they more so just shared the long lunch table unwillingly.

Zim scowled soon after Dib made eye contact with him, tapping fingers now paused. Dib couldn’t resist, he stuck out his tongue like a teasing kid and flipped Zim off.

Zim’s scowl deepened, as his mouth came apart and showed some teeth in the one upper corner. His resting head lifted away slightly from his hand.

That did the trick; Zim was now baffled, offended and annoyed all at once. He looked like he just saw something obscene. Dib choked on a laugh, showing Zim a challenging grin.

Here it comes.

Zim quickly stood up with his hands slamming on the table surface, gave a final heated glare towards Dib and then marched off somewhere toward the school building, probably back inside. The kids that were next to him were clearly startled by the whole act, but soon continued on with their own conversations.

Uh… what. That was weird? Zim didn’t throw _any_ insults back at Dib. What’s up with that?

Dib just gawked like an idiot in the direction that Zim disappeared off to, clearly baffled by the Irken’s departure. Then the bell rang.

“Pfft, you’re both stupid.” Gaz tucked her phone away and threw her book bag over her shoulders as she stood up. “Come on.” She said, not waiting for her brother to get up and follow her back inside the school.

 

\---

 

Finally, the last bell of the day went off, signaling their freedom. Dib sauntered down the hallway towards his locker to grab any remaining junk he had inside. He swiftly collected all his belongings and slammed the door shut when he heard a group of guys laughing around the corner. The one yelled out something about a midget.

Curious about the commotion, Dib peered around the corner in time to catch Chunk looking down at Zim with a dumb smirk, a few of his friends flanking his sides. Zim only gave him a deadly glare in retort. Dib could almost see the magenta orbs burning with rage behind those dull blue contacts.

Then Zim just, walked away.

Okay, what the heck is going on with him? He’s being so… docile? And that just wasn’t Zim, _at all._ As his arch nemesis, Dib deserved some kind of answer. Or maybe he was just worried about the little alien and wanted to make sure he was ‘yanno… alright?

Dib walked briskly towards the group in an attempt to maybe see what the hell was going on with Zim, and purposely shoved right past one of the jock-wannabe’s.

“Hey Chunk,” Dib sneered. “Shut the hell up.” No one made a remark back, just stared.

Dib grew up, a lot. He was no longer the little scrawny weird kid. He thanked Zim for some of that as he always kept him on his toes. His body was still lean, but it was active and strong. He was also taller than most of his peers, beginning to resemble his father, which made sense since he was his clone after all. A fact he accepted a long time ago.

Dib exited the school building but Zim was nowhere in sight. Instead, he found Gaz standing on the sidewalk, waiting for him as she tapped away on her phone. Why did he have to be so damn fast?

Dib walked towards his sister while looking around their surroundings.

“Hey, did you see...”

“Zim? Yeah, he zipped by a little bit before you came out.” Gaz cut him off without even a glance. “What happened?”

“I don’t really know?” He replied, sounding more like a question itself.

“Eh, whatever.” She began walking down their path home. Dib merely followed, pondering. Should he… try to visit Zim before having to leave tomorrow?

He could have sworn he heard a familiar annoying buzzing sound during their walk home.

 

\---

 

Dib never did have time to go physically check on Zim. That night their father insisted they go out to eat as a celebration, plus he was actually free from work. It was Dib’s choice on where they went but he picked the pizza joint in town his sister seemed to always love so much.

Professor Membrane was excited that Dib was actually happy about the internship he chose for him instead of argumentative. He really did try to meet his sons needs and space was a fine subject to take up.

Their conversation about it was dull though, it honestly just went in the back of Dib’s head since he was… worried?

He felt kinda bad, his dad was trying to make an effort with him. Luckily, Gaz took up a lot of the exchange. She seemed cruel on the surface, but really did care about her brother. Much different to her past counterpart. She was also a very smart girl; brains seemed to run in the “family”. So she could easily keep pace with Dib and their father.

Dinner only lasted about an hour until they were back home again. Dib was packed for his trip and almost settled in for the night. 

Gah, but he was so annoyed! His OCD made him _want_ to check on Zim. Why was he acting all obsessive?

Dib tore open his laptop and clicked on the spy camera that was still hidden in Zim’s base. He knew that sounded freaking creepy but hey, it came in handy a couple of times. Zim was a loud mouth after all.

Dib saw nothing through the monitor. There was just a faint pink glow and low humming sound. He couldn’t even make out any objects in the room.

He had no idea where the hidden camera was even positioned anymore. He thought it was near Zim’s main computer station in his underground base. Maybe Zim was actually just hanging out with his robot on their main floor?

Dib groaned, he wasn’t satisfied but decided to just go to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. He got settled in bed with his thoughts swarming around, not giving him any peace. He didn’t even know there was buzzing until it was too late.

“AGH, OUCH! WHAT THE HELL?” He shouted, it felt like a needle stabbed him in the back of the neck.

“SHUT UP, DIB!” Gaz yelled from the other room. To be fair, it _was_ going on 1 a.m. and they weren’t used to their new found summer schedules where staying up all night was the norm.

“Uh… sorry!” Dib shouted back. He scanned his dark room and could definitely hear slight buzzing.

“That little jerk…” Dib mumbled, but a small smile crept over his face. Zim must have been fine if he planted this little trick on Dib.

He went to his desk and pulled out a small device from his top drawer. He had modified a garage door opener to send out a signal that short circuits Zim’s little electronic bee’s.

Dib waited until he heard the soft buzzing approach him again and pressed the button on the top of the device. He saw a quick flicker of light to his right and something small made a “thump” on the ground. Low and behold, it was a little bee-like invention. It was so small and intricate; any normal person would see it as an actual honeybee.

Dib picked it up and put it in his drawer along with his remote. He liked taking Zim’s creations apart and using them against him. That’s how he made the remote in the first place.

More at ease, Dib crawled back into bed. His thoughts about Zim weren’t as worrisome, so he found sleep easily his time.

His dreams were another story, subconscious taking over. Naturally, they were about Zim, but this dream was choppy and made no sense.

First, they were back in their younger days fighting, merely shouting insults at one-another without knowing the cause. They would hit each other with objects, making sure not to touch one-another. It played out more like a distant memory. The dream then shifted to the two as they were now. Dib, older and much taller while Zim was only a couple inches taller. He looked more or less the same.

This time, they were wrestling and squabbling with one another. Countless scratches and jabs ensued. 

Dib had something of Zim’s, something Zim wanted back. The Irken was reaching up for it, all but leaning against Dib, trying to claw his way up the human’s torso to retrieve it.

Dib’s chuckle must have pushed Zim’s last button as he decided to use his PAK’s spider legs to gain the advantage. He pinned Dib down to the floor and grabbed... whatever it was from him.

Victorious, Zim kept Dib pinned, his smile only growing more lethal as their eyes met. He dropped down, now hovering over Dib. Their faces weren’t all the far apart; Dib could make out all the different hues of red and magenta swirling in those orbs.

Zim reached out, extending one of his talon-like hands around Dib’s throat like he was going to choke him. Dib flinched, preparing for the worst. But the gesture wasn’t violent when it landed. It felt more… intimate?

Zim’s thumb rested against Dib’s jugular, swiping downward lightly while the other two digits were wrapped around the front of his neck. It definitely looked like Zim was choking him with one hand, but he was just grasping his neck lightly.

Zim’s hand was gentle and warm. It actually felt… nice.

The Irken’s face grew softer, eyes relaxed and less focused. He wasn’t smiling anymore but kinda just looking at Dib, expectantly.

Dib gulped against the touch and that gaze. He could feel his heart rate increase and warmth fill throughout his face and chest.

Without thinking, he reached up and returned the gesture. His right hand wrapped around the slender ivory throat, gripping it lightly while swiping his thumb downward against the smooth skin. He felt his face relax and his chest was out of freaking control.

The scene reminded Dib of lovers holding one another’s face, except this seemed more trusting.

_Wait._

Did he say lovers? 

Trusting?

Wh-what?!

With that, everything fizzled out like static and the images faded away. A loud sound pulled Dib away from his false encounter. He was beginning to see bright red as light poured into his bedroom through his window’s blinds, hitting him right on the face.

It was morning already and his alarm was shouting at him. With a grunt, Dib smacked the snooze button and rolled over on his other side. His left hand reached up to clutch around his throat while he stared at his right.

“What the hell…” He mumbled to himself.


End file.
